SHINE: Digitization of 27 Years of Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) Films and Application in Statistical Study of Filaments and Flares

从1969年到1995年，大熊太阳天文台（BBSO）的工作人员在35毫米胶片上记录了他们所有的观测结果，1995年后改用数字成像。这些胶片数据包括BBSO 8英寸望远镜的全磁盘观测和10英寸和26英寸望远镜的高分辨率观测，观测的节奏从10秒到1分钟不等。这些电影数据涵盖了两个半太阳周期，包括数千次耀斑，并涵盖了几个太空任务的整个操作服务，包括SMM，CGRO和Yohkoh。广泛的公众访问这些BBSO数据电影是不切实际的，他们的科学能力从来没有得到充分的探索。申请的资金将用于购买专门的商业数字化设备，以及雇用一名博士后研究人员和本科生对这些电影进行数字化处理并将其存档在公共领域。数字化的BBSO数据包括全磁盘和高分辨率H-α图像，以及He I图像。整套完整的磁盘数据将被转换成一个天气数据库。高分辨率胶片数据将根据全磁盘数据选择的事件进行数字化。所有观测到的太阳耀斑和暗条喷发都将使用BBSO开发和实施的人工智能方法自动检测和编目。尽管电影数据格式存在一些局限性，但PI指出，BBSO数据的长期覆盖范围和高质量将在许多统计研究中具有非常广泛的应用。PI的团队将利用数字化数据对细丝和耀斑进行有针对性的研究。他们计划对太阳细丝进行统计分析，包括它们的运动和爆发。他们将研究暗条振荡，以验证它们是否是太阳耀斑的前兆或结果。PI和博士后将研究太阳磁场重联的速率以及暗条加速与硬X射线（HXR）发射的关系。这项新的研究将补充现有BBSO数字数据和RHESSI航天器HXR数据的持续比较。这项研究解决了SHINE的目标，即理解CME的启动和耀斑中的电子加速。对大量存档事件的研究将改进对未来太阳爆发事件的预测，从而有助于空间气象的实用预测。PI不需要资金，但它将支持博士后和本科生。至少有三名本科生将参与电影数字化和研究，博士后将通过协助PI监督这些学生来获得管理培训。

From 1969 to 1995, Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) staff recorded all of their observations on 35 mm film before switching to digital imaging after 1995. These film data include full-disk observations from BBSO's 8 inch telescope and high resolution observations from the 10 and 26 inch telescopes, with the cadence of observations ranging from 10 seconds to 1 minute. These film data cover two and one-half solar cycles, include thousands of flares, and span the entire operational service of several space missions, including SMM, CGRO, and Yohkoh. Wide public access to these BBSO data films is impractical and their scientific capability has never been fully explored. The requested funding will support the purchase of specialized commercial digitizing equipment, as well as the employment of a postdoctoral researcher and undergraduate students to digitize these films and archive them in the public domain. The BBSO data to be digitized includes full-disk and high resolution H-alpha images, as well as He I images. The entire set of full-disk data will be converted to create a synoptic data base. High resolution film data will be digitized according to events selected by the full-disk data. All observed solar flares and filament eruptions will be automatically detected and cataloged using artificial intelligence methods that have been developed and implemented at BBSO. Despite some limitations of the film data format, the PI notes that the long-term coverage and high quality of the BBSO data will have very broad applications for many statistical studies. The PI's team will carry out targeted research on the filaments and flares with the digitized data. They plan to perform statistical analysis of solar filaments, including their motions and eruptions. They will study filament oscillations to verify whether they are precursors to, or the result of, solar flares. The PI and postdoc will investigate the rate of magnetic reconnection at the Sun and the relationship of filament acceleration to hard X-ray (HXR) emission. This new study will complement the ongoing comparison of existing BBSO digital data and HXR data from the RHESSI spacecraft.This research addresses the SHINE goal of understanding the initiation of CMEs and electron acceleration in flares. The study of a large number of archived events will improve the forecasting of future solar eruptive events, and thus assist operational space weather prediction. Funding is not requested for the PI, but it will instead support the postdoc and undergraduate students. At least three undergraduate students will participate in the film digitization and research, and the postdoc will gain management training by assisting the PI in supervising these students.